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Coordinators of the youth opposition organised a demonstration held after Friday prayers on May 18, which saw opposition protestors leave the Saudi Mosque in the capital Nouakchott in a march headed towards the Ministry of Interior. The demonstration was however forcefully suppressed by security forces using tear gas, which caused breathing difficulties and injuries amongst the demonstrators. They also arrested a number of leading opposition organisers.

In protest against the arrests and repression, leading members of the opposition organised a demonstration outside the commissariat of Tevragh-Zeina in the capital, demanding the release of the activists arrested after Friday's demonstration.

Throughout this protest the leader of the Mauritanian opposition Ahmed Ould Daddah called for the immediate release of the arrested demonstrators and a stop to the repression of those requesting freedom and the end of military rule in Mauritania. He said “the Mauritanian opposition is firmly committed to peaceful protest despite the brutal repression it faces” and also demanded the immediate release of those arrested during a peaceful march to the Ministry of Interior calling for the end of the current regime.

Suppression of the protests – image from the Facebook page of the 'youth bloc' – used with permission

The deputy leader of the Tawassoul party fainted – image from 'the other news' on Facebook – used with permission

Netizens shared the following video of the suppression of the demonstration:

The march began peacefully at the Saudi Mosque in the capital with the demonstrators chanting slogans calling for the end of the current corrupt military regime. The demonstration was led by the deputy leader of the National Assembly for Reform and Development party (Tawassoul), and the secretary general of the same party, Ahmed Jedou Ould Bahi. Leaders of the youth opposition movement ‘the torch’ were also present.
The demonstration did not however get far before being met by the governor of Tevragh-Zeina accompanied by a police commissioner who demanded that the protestors abandon the demonstration. He expressed his readiness to permit a new demonstration against the Mauritanian constitution, which guarantees freedom, saying that it was necessary for any person wishing to demonstrate to inform the authorities and that it was not forbidden, before threatening to use force if they did not stop their activities.
However, firm in their commitment to their constitutional right, the demonstrators refused to back down until the fall of the current regime and marched under the slogan “against torture and against repression”. Tear gas, sonic weapons, and even petrol bombs were used against the demonstrators as well as being used to attack the telephone market, popularly known as “the hot point”, to spread chaos and accuse the opposition of subversion.

The commissioner Ould Saidi Yahya questioned some of those injured in the protest against President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz held on Friday. He began by asking the injured people what their names were and where they came from before asking about their political affiliations.

The coordinators of the youth opposition group “the torch” called for the demonstration on the front of their Facebook page saying:

The coordinators of the democratic youth opposition group “the torch” call on you to take part in a march to be held tomorrow after Friday prayers departing from the Saudi Mosque and heading towards the Ministry of the Interior alongside the leaders of the democratic opposition.

The page of the “youth bloc” had this to say about the opposition demonstration:

Violent confrontations between the police and coordinators of the youth opposition group known as “the torch” have occurred in the area around the Ibn Abass Mosque while the demonstrators made their way to the ministry of the interior close to the presidential palace. Mohamed Ghulam Ould al-Hajj fainted during the confrontation and had to be rushed to hospital, as well as the Mayor of Guerou who also fell unconscious. Tear gas and sonic grenades were used by the Mauritanian police to break up the demonstration organised by coordinators of the youth of the democratic opposition movement “the torch”.